The present invention is related generally to devices for repositioning wheeled vehicles, and in particular, to a powered roller for imparting a controlled slow-speed rolling movement to a vehicle wheel assembly and associated vehicle.
There exist innumerable varieties of wheeled vehicles and structures which are supported on wheels for rolling movement over surfaces. These vehicles and structures may include an onboard power source for providing a motive force in order to move the vehicle or structure across the surface, such as passenger cars, trucks, fork lifts or aircraft. Alternatively, the wheeled vehicles or structures may be unpowered, relying upon the application of an external force for movement, such as trailers, wagons, rolling cranes, etc. Regardless of the specific source of motive power, many of these wheeled vehicles and structures are heavy, and are difficult for an individual operator to move without utilizing either an onboard power source such as an engine, or an external motive source, such as a winch or secondary vehicle in a pushing or pulling arrangement.
There exists the occasional need for an individual operator to reposition or move a heavy wheeled vehicle, structure, or cylindrical roll of material a short distance without the use of an onboard power source or reliance upon a secondary vehicle (i.e., the onboard engine may not be operable, fuel may be expensive, or a secondary vehicle may not be available). For example, within an automotive service environment, there may be the need to roll a heavy vehicle such as a truck or passenger car a short distance while on a vehicle lift or support structure in order to complete a vehicle service procedure. Other situations in which a vehicle or structure may need to be rolled a short distance, may include, but are not limited to, repositioning of a vehicle within a parking structure, removal of a disabled vehicle from traffic lanes of an roadway, or “push back” of an aircraft from an airport terminal. In the material handling industry, large rolls or coils of bulk material, such as metals, cloth, or paper commonly need to be transported from storage locations to feed points associated with material processing machinery.
A variety of portable self-powered vehicle pushing systems are known for enabling an operator to engage a vehicle or roll of material to be moved and impart a motive force there to. These portable self-powered vehicle pushing systems rest on the same surface upon which the vehicle or roll of material is disposed, and are driven by means of one or more driven traction wheels in direct engagement with the supporting surface. Engagement between the portable self-powered vehicle pushing system and the frame or body component of the vehicle to be moved, such as a bumper, allows the motive force exerted by the traction wheels to be transferred to the vehicle, resulting in rolling movement. For systems designed to move rolls of material, a second driven wheel or roller may be provided in the pushing system for engagement with the surface of the material roll. With the second driven wheel or roller driven in a rotationally opposite direction from the driven traction wheels, the motive force exerted by the system is split between the traction wheels and the second driven wheel or roller, both propelling the system forward and imparting a rotational force to the exterior surface of the material roll to be moved.
However, these systems suffer from several potential drawbacks. First, the portable self-powered vehicle pushing systems are relatively light weight compared to the vehicle or roll of material which is being moved. The driven traction wheels may not be able to provide sufficient traction against the supporting surface on which they rest in order to move the vehicle with which the pushing system is engaged. Second, if the vehicle to be pushed is disposed on a vehicle lift structure or supporting runway in an automotive service bay, there may not be any supporting surface present in front of, or behind the vehicle in a location which would be suitable for placement of the pushing system, particularly if the pushing system requires placement against the mid-line of either the front or rear vehicle bumper. Third, if a second driven wheel or roller is employed to engage the surface of the material to be moved, the limited motive force exerted by the pushing system is split between the traction wheels and the second driven wheel or roller, reducing efficiency. Finally, it is entirely possible that there is no portion of the vehicle frame, body, bumper components, or surface which can be engaged by the pushing system, either due to their delicate nature (such as on fragile, antique, or valuable vehicles), or due to their physical configuration (such as on vehicles with large ground clearance).
Accordingly, there is a need for an efficient portable self-powered vehicle pushing system which is light weight, capable of being operated by an individual operator, and which does not rely upon the engagement of one or more powered traction wheels or rollers with an underlying supporting surface to impart a motive force to a wheeled vehicle or cylindrical structure to initiate a controlled slow-speed rolling movement of the wheeled vehicle or structure.
There is a further need for a portable self-powered vehicle pushing system which does not engage the stationary frame or body components of a wheeled vehicle or structure when imparting a motive force to the wheeled vehicle or structure.